Electrical signaling system and apparatus therefor



Aug 27, 1929. w. B. CHURCHER ELECTRICAL SIGNALING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Filed Feb. 12

Patented Aug. 27, 1929 ,UNITED STATES PATENT oar-"icewILLIAM B. cHUncnEn, or CLE ELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE WHITE COMPANY, or CLEVELAND, onro, A CORPORATION-OF OHIO.

ELECTRICAL SIGNALING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS THEREFOR. I

Application filed rein-nary 12, 1925. Serial No. 8,678.

particularly to such systems and apparatus as may be usefully employed on automotive vehicles to effect the operation of a signal lamp on the vehicle and for such other purposes as will hereinafter be disclosed.

An object of my invention is to provide an electrical signaling system for an automo-' bile, which will be positive in operation and durable in service.

Another object of my invention is to provide a system of this kind, in which -a failure to operate the desiredsignal will be indicated to the operator at his position remote from the signal, and wherein the signal can not be readily observed.

Another object of my invention is to provide apparatus actuatedto give a signal in the event that the aforesaid signal provided as an indicator fails to operate.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved stop light system for automobiles.

My invention will be readily understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment thereof, and in which embodiment reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this.

Referring now to the figures of the drawing, in all of which like parts are designated by like reference characters, at 2 I show an electrical signal lamp, which in practice would be installed in a casing at the rear end of the vehicle, in accordance with common practice for installation of such stop lights for automobiles. At 3 I show an electromagnetic relay comprising a core 4, a pair of windings 5 and 6, an armature 7 and a set of contacts comprising the contacts 18 and 19, operable b the movement of the armature 7. At 11 show an indicator lamp for indicating to the. operator, at his driving position in the car and disposed preferably on the dash or instrument board so as to be readily observed by him, when the said lamp is lighted or extinguished. At 12 I show a source of electrical current, such as the storage battery carried by automobiles, and at' 13 I show a pair of normally open electrical contacts and which are adapted to be closed by the operator of the automobile in actuating a cont-rolling pedal or lever therefor.

For the practical working of the system of m invention, the relay 3 may be of any wellnown form, but for the best carrying out of m invention when applied to automobiles, I prefer to use a relay shown in Figs. 2 m5, inclusive, which is very compact and at the same time ver eflicient in operation. This relay comprises a short core 4 carrying an electromagnetic winding composed of two separate coils 5 and 6. The winding in Figs. 2 to 5, inclusive, is designated generall as 14. This winding may be disposed on t e core 4 either with its separate coils arranged concentrically or in tandem, but as illustrated in Figs. 2 to 5, inclusive, I have shown them as being concentric. This arrangement permits the winding 6, which is to be of relatively low resistance, to have contained therein more turns of wire for a given resistance than if this coil were disposed in tandem on the core with the coil 5, since the average length of its turns in the latter case would be longer. Carrying the core 4, I have provided a U-shaped return pole 15 having its intermediate portion transverse to the .core 4' and its arms parallel thereto extending along either side thereof. Carried near the end of one of the arms, I arrange an end of an armature supporting spring 23 to which is secured by rivets 24, an armature and contact supporting spring, this contact supporting spring being flat and bifurcated towards its contact carrying end 17, so as to separate this contact carrying end into two spring portions, the end ofeach spring portion carrying a contact, these being shown at 18 and 19 of the drawings. The end-of the spring 23 is perforated at to admit a machine screw 21, which passes through it and is screw-threaded, as shown at 22, into the return pole piece. arm.

As shown, I preferably form a rearwardly extending loop in the armature supporting spring 23, so as to increase the resiliency thereof at such point and to restrict the fiexure of such spring substantially to such spring portion. The armature 7 is secured by rivets 24 to thesprin 23 near the loop, but is preferably unattac ed to such spring at any other portion. This construction permits further independent movement of the armature 7 toward the ends of the mag nctic poles after the contact carrying ends of the spring are sto need by their contacts coming in contact wit fixed contacts'25 and 26. These fixed contacts are carried in a block of insulating material 27 secured by a screw 28 to the arm 29 of the return pole piece. The fixed contacts and 26 are thus insulated from the return pole piece 15,

whichalso acts as the frame of the relay and supports all the other parts thereof. Terminals 30 and 31 secured at the bottom ends of the contacts 25 and 26 are provided -for the purpose of permitting electrical con-. nections to be made to these contacts, the same being accomplished by the soldering of wires'thereto, or otherwise securing wires to these terminals. -An L-shaped stop element is also secured to the insulating block 27 by the screw 28, such screw passing through a perforation in the element, as shown at.32, its ypper end being bent over the top of. the contact carrying end of the spring 17 and is in contact therewith when the relay is in its normal position, asillustra'ted. The

armature 7 is made sufiiciently long that its ends overlie the end faces of the return pole piece arms, the magneticcircuit for the armature comprising the core 4, both of the arms of the return pole piece 15 in parallel arrangement, the air gaps between. the end .faces of the return pole pieces and the armature, the armature itself, and the air gap between the middlepart of the the end poleface of the core 4.

I find that a rela constructed as just armature and described is most eflici'ent in operation, since, the magnetic circuit 15 very short and the parts are-arranged with 'a-view to most eifibeing accompanied cient operation. The disposition of the armature and the spring carrying contacts on its end is such that the contacts are made and then rolled on one another, the rolling I by a sliding contact as the armature continues .its movement and thecontact carrying bifurcated ends of the spring is deflected by the making-of the conthe battery tacts. This arrangement of armature and spring also permits the relay armature to vibrate quite audibly whenever the relay is actuated under conditions calculated to bring about this condition, and in which ing the stop light and an indicator lamp for i the system, it will be seen that I have arranged circuit conductors interconnecting the various parts, so that I normally place the vehicle stop light 2 in serial circuit with 12, the controlling switch contacts 13 and the. high resistance winding 5 of the relay. This arrangement will cause the relay core 4 to magnetically attract the armature 7 whenever the contacts 13 are closed until the relay closes 'its contacts.

The winding 5 may be off any desired resistance, but is preferably higher than that of the winding 6, and I prefer to make this winding sufficiently high in resistance that it will comprise a large number of turns, so as to readily actuate the armature.7 and eliminate the necessity forany delicate a d- 'ustment of the relay. This resistance may e so high that the stop light 2 will not be sufliciently energized as to be'lighted when included in circuit with the winding. However, I provide a pair of contacts 18-25 closed 'by the movement of the armature 7 for short circuiting the winding 5 whenever the relay is actuated. This would accomplish-the almost immediate demagnetization of therelay and cause the return of the armature to its initial position except for the actionof the winding 6, which action will be later described. I will first describ'e'theaction of the relay under the assumption that the winding 6 will remain disabled and current. cannot pass through it to energize the relay.

Upon the short 'ircuiting of the winding 5 by the contacts 8-25, as described, and the subsequent re-opening of these contacts, due to the consequent de-energization of the relay, the winding 5 again receives current and energizes the relay and then again closes "the con tacts 18-25 to almost immediately of the relay 3 and its contacts. For the purpose of lighting the lamp 2 to full brilliancy, I provide the Winding 6, and for indicating the lighting of such lamp to full brilliancy, I provide a lamp 11, the winding and the lamp 11 being placed in serial circuit, to-

gether with the contact set 1926, which are also closed at the same time as the contactset 1825, or, as I prefer, closed just before the contact set 1825. I prefer to make the contacts 19-26 just before the making of contacts 1825, so as to remove the possibility of the vibratory controlling effect of such contacts 18-25, before the contacts 1926 are closed, in case the latter contacts are closed last. The closing of the contacts 1926 closes a branch circuit from the storage battery 12, and such branch ciris-energized as a result of the closing of the contacts .1926 and magnetizes, due to such energization, the core 4 and causes magnetic flux to traverse the magnetic circuit, which has been described, and. continues the attraction of the armature 7 b the return pole piece arms and the pole ace of the core 4 to maintain :the relay inaactuated position after being preliminarily energized by the energization, due to current through the windin 5. Current through the winding 6 keeps t e armature attracted after the contacts 1825 have closed, short circuiting the winding 5.

However, should the circuit comprising the winding 6' be 0 n-circuited at the time of energization o the rela by current throu h the winding 5, the vi ratory action descri ed willbecontinued, since then there will be no current through the winding 6' to ductor in the circuit of "winding 6 being broken, or more commonly will prevail if the indicator lamp! is burned out or has in any other way a discontinuous circuit for its filament. It is very desirable, in such a case, that the relay vibrate as described,

since then the operator oi the vehicle will know that the stop light 2 is improperly lighted and will know also that the indicator lamp cannot be relied upon to give a true indication of the operation of the lamp of the stop light 2.

Having thus described my invention in a specific embodiment and a specific relay structure for carrying out the invention of my system, I am aware that numerous and extensive departures may be made from the embodiment of my invention herein illustrated and described and the apparatus therefor, but without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim :--v

1. In an electrical signaling system, the combination with an electric slgnal lamp, a pilot lamp therefor,'a source of electrical current, electromagnetic means controlling the flow of current from the source through both' of said lamps, said electromagnetic means comprising a pair of electrowindings and a pair of sets of electrical contacts, each contact set comprising a pair of contacts adapted to be closed upon fiow of current through either of said windings, a common controlling switch, each ofsaid lamps being included in serial circuit with a different one of said windings, said controlling switch and said source of current, one of said windings being. a high resistance winding, one of said contact sets being connected in multiple circuit with said high resistance winding, the other of said contacts being connected in serial circuit with the other winding and means adapted to operate said controlling switch.

2. In an electrical signaling system, the

combination with an electric signal, a pilot signal therefor, a source of electrical current, electromagnetic means controlling the flow of current from the. source through both of said signals, said electromagnetic means comprising a air of electrowindings and a pair of sets oi electrical contacts, each contact set comprising a air of contacts adapted to be closed upon ow of current through either of said windings, a common controlling switch, each of said signals being included in serial circuit with a difierent one of said windings, said controlling switch and, said source of current, one of said windings being a high resistance winding, one of said contact sets being connected in multiple circuit with said high resistance winding, the other of said .cgntacts being connected in serial circuit with the other winding and means adapted to operate said controlling switch, said high resistance winding bein of such a resistance that current from t 'e source directed theret'hrough to the serially connected signals will be insuflicient to operatively energize the signal.

-3. In asignalling system, the combination with a pair of lamps, a pair of magnet windings, an armature-adapted to be moved by electrical current directedthrough one of a said windingsand to-be maintained in one of said positions after an initial movement by current directed through the other windof sets of contacts adapted to be closed upon of said lamps and through said first wind- 10 movement of the armature responsive to flow ing and means comprising circuit conductors of currentthrough sai d first winding, one adapted to direct current from the source of said contact sets being connected in multithrough said second set of contacts and said ple circuit with one of said windings, the second winding to the other lamp. 7

other said contact being connected in series In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my 15 with said second winding, a source of cursignature this 3rd day of February, 1925. rent, and a controlling switch adapted to direct current from the source through one WILLIAM B. CHURCHER. 

